


Maelstrom

by Lonliest_muffin



Series: Weird AUs/Plot Bunnies??? [4]
Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Adult Arcobaleno (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!), Alternate Universe - Merpeople, BAMF Skull (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!), Confused Reborn (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!), F/M, Family Feels, Immortal Skull (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!), M/M, Multi, Polyamory Negotiations, Skull (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!)-centric, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:00:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28479573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lonliest_muffin/pseuds/Lonliest_muffin
Summary: The lonely Octopus, Skull de Mort, is just living life, when a ship wreck ends up in his part of the reef.With it came Love, Family, Corruption and Pain. It made a huge mess of his life.But the prize he paid for it was loneliness.Skull would do it all over again.
Relationships: Arcobaleno & Skull (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!), Arcobaleno/Skull (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!)
Series: Weird AUs/Plot Bunnies??? [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1996678
Comments: 8
Kudos: 91





	1. At the bottom of the Sea

**Author's Note:**

> This wouldn't leave my mind, so now you all have to deal with it too! >:3
> 
> Please enjoy~

It's a calm day, especially compared to the storm that raged all throughout last night.  
Cutting, violent, almost deadly currents are replaced by a pleasant freshness, brushing invisible fingers, not only through the seaweeds, but also his hair. The turbulent waves settled once more, the surface now calm enough to let the sunlight back down to him, shining in spots off of his smooth skin.  
And most of all, the massive Sand-Clouds that the storm threw about last night, once again settled down, revealing the lively, calm reefs as he has known it all his life. 

After such large storms, usually there is a lot of trash and other things he has to move away from said reef. Last night, a human vessel was caught in the storm too and, judging by the loud crack he sensed that woke him up last night, there is that to clean up too.  
Maybe he'll score a meal out of it? It's been ages since he last had human meat.... 

It doesn't take him long to find the wreck and it takes him even less time to gather together the most dangerous parts of it. The wavy nets and sails had already trapped some of the smaller fish that populate the reef, so he worked quickly to rip them up and tie them together into a more manageable ball.  
As per usual, the fish weren't much grateful for his help. It doesn't matter, he's satisfied with watching them swim away, knowing sooner or later they might grow large enough to be a good meal for him.

Such is the circle of life, he supposes. He protects the weak and small and, some day, they become large enough to be a meal... 

He ponders this, once more, while he works to break the ugly vessel into smaller parts.  
He has to be careful with these kinds of vessels. They aren't made up of the stuff that floats away as soon as he rips it apart. These are made of these large, heavy plates that have sharp edges and just sink to the ground when he let's them go. 

They're also much more difficult to split apart! Sometimes even he can't manage it... But when that's the case, he just leaves those pieces be and, with time, they become a part of the reef.  
As all things tend to. Even he has become a part of the reef, despite how unusual he is.  
He's once again confronted with this fact while he works. One of the plates has a shiny surface and, in it, he can see himself. 

He can see the gorgeous coloring of his many tentacles, which are a dark Violet in the shadow, yet gleam with the colour of fresh blood when the sunlight hits them just right.  
Further up, he can see where his skin blends together, becomes paler and softer to the touch. He can see his pale chest, his collarbones, his shoulders and arms. When he turns he can see the pattering that rakes up his lower back and shoulder blades. It's a bright, purple color, unique to his kind, as far as he knows. 

And lastly, when he swims closer and brings his head into view, he's met with bright purple eyes and wavy purple hair. He'd cut it short just a while ago, having gotten tangled up in a coral one too many times. It's much more manageable now and to be honest, he quite likes the way it looks.  
He purses his lips, making faces at himself, taking just a moment to admire the way the purple markings on his face shimmer when he smiles.

And of course, he has to take a second to admire the shiny things he'd put into his skin.  
The hook in his ear that he'd bent into an artful shape and the string of metal that connects it to his lip. As well as the two, dazzeling, round stones he'd pierced into his lower lip and his eyebrow.  
All things considered, he is very unusual. As well as very beautiful.  
And after he's done with moving this vessel, he might just hunt himself a meal, or prowl around his cave a bit to scare the tiny, curious fish... 

It was supposed to be a normal day for the octopus Skull de Mort.

That all goes down the drain after he rips off another piece of the vessel. Suddenly, the current drags him inside, rushing to fill the cavity he'd just revealed. It tosses him upside down, but he catches himself just in time, grumbling faintly and looking around then. 

The inside of the vessel is even more messy than the outside! Countless things instantly floated up to the ceiling, bumping into it and staying there, while other things fizzled like angry lightning eels before the glowing orbs all around went out. Skull just blinks a bit, swimming up and grabbing two of the floating things, dragging them to the opening he made and sending them out into the endlessness of the ocean. If these things wanted to float and not bother him, he wasn't gonna complain after all. 

By the time he turns back, his eyes have gotten used to the darkness and he scans the place curiously. There were more sail like things, dropping out of some of the floating things and almost getting tangled with his tentacles. The floor, ceiling and walls were made up of those strange, heavy plates, as far as he could tell. There is one odd opening there though and, curious as he is, Skull swims through it, just to see what else there could be. 

He ends up in a human cave much, much larger than he expected, but it's in much the same state as the one he'd just been in. At the center of this place however... There is something.  
Or rather, someone.  
Skull has never before seen a being similar to him, even if this being does not have tentacles. They however, have a long, rigid tail and an impressive back fin. 

Something clicks then and he swims closer immediately. Sharks, no matter what kind, suffocate if they stay still for too long. And given that this one is unconscious and not moving, their tkme could be running out. He has to act quickly if he actually wants to help them.  
And because Sharks need to be moving to breathe, his first instinct is to just grab them by their forearms and drag them out of the human vessel. 

Skull keeps a secure hold on them, taking a closer look at their face while he drags them through the reef. Much like him, their skin blends at their waist, turning from a rough, light grey, to something softer and much paler. Unlike him, however, they do not have much patterning. There is some yellow patterns around their torso, but their face is bare.  
They are no less attractive however. Their features are sharper than his and, in combination with the spikey/curly, black hair, they make something in him feel warm from embarrassment. 

But this isn't about how beautiful they are. They need to breathe and pulling them around doesn't seem to be helping. Do they even breathe like him? They don't seem to have gills at first glance, but when he looks closer, he sees them move faintly between their neck and their shoulders.  
So they are breathing. That's a relief.... But... What else is wrong with them? They aren't responding to any of his touches...  
What if.... They are dying? Skull doesn't even know them yet, but... He doesn't want them to die! He doesn't want to be alone again! 

As a last resort, Skull takes them back to his cave, constantly checking over them with his tentacles, when he doesn't have his hands on their skin instead. He finds their pulse, feels the warmth under their skin and soon then, finds what might just be the issue.  
Their stomach is slightly dented in, seemingly completely empty and it's the second time that day that something clicks for him. 

He gently lowers them to the ground, looking around his cave and quickly swimming to grab them a meal. Sharks aren't scavengers, right? They prefer fresh fish... So Skull herds a medium sized fish into his cave, forcing the fish closer to the unconscious shark person. He bites the fish quickly, pulling away and watching the blood trail up and dissipate in the water. The fish is trashing in his grasp, but he's much more focused on his unusual guest. 

For a few, silent seconds, they don't move, only to then snap awake in an instant and attack with all the ferocity one should expect from a starving shark. Skull barely even manages to throw the fish at them in time!  
Unsurprisingly, they chow down with that same ferocity, nearly swallowing the fish in three bites. And judging by their dilated pupils.... They are in hunting mode now. Skull inches back, but their eyes follow him and for a terrifying second, he wonders if it would be a swift end for him, to be eaten by them. 

Then, they lightly cough, frowning to themselves and shooting him a glare. "Where's the nearest hunting grounds. I'm starving." 

Skull splutters almost, flustering darkly and pointing to the exit of his cave. "Just straight ahead! Try to go for bigger fish-?"

They instantly breezed past him, swimming at such high speeds he has trouble keeping his eyes on them for just a moment. But they are in a strange, new environment and Skull kind of worries? He follows them as quickly as he can, accidentally running into them then, since they abruptly stopped just outside his cave.

They brush him off easily, turning this way and that, their eyes wide with what might be shock. They are rather difficult to read, but they also seem annoyed and confused. "What is this place."

Skull shakes himself off slightly, blinking at them and looking around. "We're in my reef. Why do you ask..?"

They turn to him, looking him up and down with a sneer then. "What laboratory are we in, you idiot."

Skull bristles up at that, crossing his arms and frowning right back at them. Then their words register and he frowns even more. What the hell? "... What is a labo-ra-tory?"

They turn very quiet then, blinking slowly and looking around bit by bit. Their eyes don't move as frantically anymore and they end up staring out into the open endlessness then. Skull lives at the very edge of the reef, right at the massive drop off into the deeper waters. They sound ... Hoarse, almost. Stunned, moreso. "This is... the open ocean."

Skull blinks at them, hesitating to move closer since... They seem to be dealing with some stuff. "Well... Yeah. Has always been. Were you... Trapped in the human vessel before? Um... You aren't trapped anym-?" 

Skull can't even finish his sentence before they shoot off into the deeper waters, a feral grin on their face as they descend into darkness rapidly.  
Skull isn't Suicidal. He doesn't plan to follow them at all. Which means.... He's all alone again. Which sucks. 

He puffs up a bit, frowning darkly, when he gets the scare of his life. An unfamiliar voice speaks up from behind him, trying to sound soothing. "Please, excuse my friend-" 

Skull whirls around, staring at the Newcomer wide-eyed, but soon enough relaxing when he realizes it's another being just like him and the weird guy from before.  
They have an even more impressive back fin, spanning the entirety of their back, with a very intricate, red pattern wrapped around their arm. They also have a fish tail, but it does not seem as rigid as the other shark's. Add to that the warm brow eyes, their long, black hair, tied and styled into a thin, beautiful braid at the base of their skull and their pleasant smile... 

Skull finds himself blushing darkly, completely forgetting what they were saying, instead, throwing out the first thing that comes to mind. "You're very pretty." 

The being blinks rapidly, then their smile widens just a tad, turns just a little sharp at the edges. "Charming, aren't you..."

The danger in their smile disappears as quickly as it appeared and he looks out into the deeper waters too then. "But really, excuse my friend. We've never been in the open ocean before. He's excited to hunt properly, I'd presume. I'm... Tempted to follow his example myself." 

Skull blinks at them/him? tilting his head slightly. "I mean... Go ahead I guess? I'm gonna stay in my reef though. Have fun hunting?" 

The... Male? flashes him a gorgeous smile, staying still one second, only to then have disappeared in the next.  
Skull looks out into the deeper waters immediately, just barely catching the last red flash that reflects off of the pattern on his arm, before he disappears into the darkness.  
_Jesus. Christ. That guy's **fast**._

....  
There is a vessel to dismantle. Skull doesn't have the time to sit here and twiddle his thumbs, waiting for two strangers to, _maybe_ , come back.  
Even if, while he works, his mind keeps drifting to a warm smile and brown eyes, or a feral smirk and abysmal eyes... 

God, Skull is more desperate than he thought, isn't he?

.... Maybe he should go check on those two....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like writing about Skull a lot. I have countless ideas on what to write about him.  
> This might become an issue... =w=;


	2. Mates in discussion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just two morons figuring out that Skull is _Cute_.

It must've been up to three days by now, yet still, the little Octopus comes to the edge of the reef every now and then.   
Often, he creeps a little beyond the edge, only to then seemingly get frightened and swim back to hide in between some corals.

He is obviously looking for something. Or someone. So it's back to this discussion. "I think we should go back."

Instantly, Reborn frowns, just a bit. More so self-conscious, than truly angry. You have to analyze his whole posture to figure him out, sometimes. "Why do you keep bringing that up?" 

Fon sighs softly, curling his tail up a bit to swish it back down quickly then. Feeling the futile resistance the water still puts up... Truly, it's his favourite thing. "He's searching us. Isn't that reason enough? He might be worried..." 

Reborn sighs, stretching out against their freshest kill luxuriously. It was this big thing that came just a little too close for comfort to their.... To the reef. And it was very fun to hunt down and kill. "He doesn't know us, why would he be worried." 

And that's the whole issue, isn't it? Fon smiles brightly, swimming up to look at his mate up close. "Sometimes, someone worries for others. It's when they have a kind heart, I believe." 

Reborn rolls his eyes, stretching and turning to look at him. He's annoyed, but also beginning to relent. Now we're getting somewhere~ "Just admit it. You like the little Octopus." 

.... Alright, back to the beginning then. And maybe it's a bit of a sensitive topic. "I don't even know him." 

Reborn smirks then, showing of those impressive fangs that just... God, Fon wants them buried in his throat and its a whole issue. "He's cute, isn't he. Tiny, too." 

And damnit, Reborn is right. The Octopus is tiny and pretty and kind too. And they can't check up on him properly from this distance! "Sounds like you want a piece." 

And that's when the tide turns, so to say. Reborn flushes faintly and Fon mercilessly hones in on that weak spot. "Oh, is that it? Does he look very tasty? Think he'd be able to give you a proper hunt for a bit?" 

Because yes, hunting is fun. But these large monsters of the deep arent their favorite thing to hunt. And they can hunt each other, yeah, but where's the fun in that? They don't fear each other anymore. The thrill of the hunt simmered down a bit there.  
Reborn is defensive, just a bit. "That's the issue, Fon. We would absolutely scare the little guy." 

And truly, Reborn is so so cute. And very sweet too. "He called me pretty. So he must find you breathtaking." 

Reborn swats at him with his tail, throwing both of them off of the carcass and down into the darker deep. Here, the ground is littered with metal plates and little objects. Because their octopus is a diligent one. It took him two days, but never once did he stop until the whole ship was dismantled and thrown down here.  
Reborn settles down on one of the plates for a moment, before swimming up a bit and glaring down at Fon. "Fine. Let's go check up on your little crush." 

Fon can't help the pleased smile that comes to his lips at that. He finally convinced his mate. And it was about time too. The deep sea is somewhat bland and boring when you dominate it. " _Our_ Crush, you mean." 

Reborn grits his teeth and swats at him again, a little aggravated, before he takes off into the deep sea again. Fon blinks and follows him immediately. "That's the wrong way, _愛人_..." 

Reborn raises an eyebrow at him, before smirking a small bit. "Of course you'd show up empty handed. That's why you were single for so long, _bello_." 

And now they're suddenly on the same page. In the distance, there is a tornado of Tuna fish, driven together by a Great White. Those are super tasty. And make for fantastic courting gifts. 

Admittedly, it's also just been a while since they last had shark meat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reborn and Fon are already dating. And they want Skull in their mess as well! 
> 
> There will be no explicit stuff in this! But everyone is horny for everyone, so expect some tension!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed!  
> Kudos and especially comments fuel me to write more stories!
> 
> Thank you for reading~


End file.
